AU689102B2 - Pallets - Google Patents

Description

*1 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLErIE SPECIFCATON FOR A STANDARD PATENT

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: OLRTON T.LTD.

BERELOVICH, Lez WAIL, Morrie i'To DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

0 V*00 0* Invention Title: Pallets Details of Associated Provisional Application(s): No(s): PL8845/93 filed 18 May, 1993 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 1- M0 5 6 0 4 17 0 9

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PALLETS

The present invention relates to pallets and more particularly to a pallet for one or more drums, having provision for containment of liquid which may spill or leak from the drum.

There have been a number of prior proposals for pallets for carrying a group of drums, with the design of the pallet being such as to ensure containment within 'ie base of the pallet of spillage or leakage from the drums. Such containment is beneficial, particularly if the contents are noxious, toxic, corrosive, or otherwise dangerous, in order to prevent dispersal either during transport or during storage on the pallet.

The present invention relates to a pallet with provision for containment of liquid, the pallet having high strength and rigidity and which can be produced relatively inexpensively.

According to the present invention, there is provided a pallet comprising an outer container having an integral side wall structure and bottom wall for containing liquid which may spill into the pallet, and an integral grid structure integral with the bottom wall and side wall structure, the grid structure being defined by intersecting walls extending from the bottom wall to a position at or adjacent an upper part of the side wall structure to provide structural rigidity for the pallet, the upper surface of the grid forming a support surface for a drum or otner container to be supported on the pallet, the container and grid 25 being integrally moulded in one piece from plastics material, wherein the bottom wall of the container is shaped to form a pair of parallel beams extending between opposite sides of the container for rigidifying the pallet and for receiving the tines of a forklift for lifting the pallet, the beams extending upwardly from a generally planar inner surface of the bottom wall, and the walls of the grid structure form cells for receiving the liquid and form baffles for preventing surging of the liquid.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, 1 9S0120,p:\oper\rsh,pallcts. spe, 1 ~I cp- I I I I -2with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pallet in accordance with the invention: Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section of the pallet; Figure 3 is a plan view of the pallet; Figure 4 is an underneath view of the pallet; and Figure 5 is a plan view of a pallet with an alternative form of internal grid.

The pallet in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention is of one-piece plastics construction comprising a rectangular outer body having side walls 2 extending upwardly from a base 4 to define a container for containmn.ent of liquid. n. the preferred embodiment the dimensions of the pallet are such as to enable the pallet to carry a group of four, standard, 200 litre drums and the capacity 15 of the container is sufficient to hold without spillage the full capacity of one of the *0o drums and, in the present example, this represents a 200 litre storage capacity. The interior of the container is divided into a series of rectangular cells 5 formed by a grid of intersecting webs 6 which extend from the base 4 of the container to a level close to, but beneath, the upper edges of the side walls 2 whereby the upper portions of the side walls 2 define a lip or flange 8 extending around the periphery of the pallet above the level of the grid. The upper surface of the grid forms the support surface of the pallet on which the dnms rest. The webs 6 are formed integrally with the side walls 2 and base 4 of the container and serve to impart significant structural rigidity to the pallet in order to prevent twisting and other deflection when the pallet is lifted while carrying a group of drums. The cells 5 defined by the webs 6 also act as baffles to prevent surging of liquid within the container and, preferably, the webs 6 have apertures which can be punched into the webs to permit liquid to flow from each cell into an adjacent cell. The dimensions of the pallet are also preferably such that a standard Australian 1165 mm x 1165 mm wooden pallet can be supported on the grid.

The base 4 of the container is shaped to provide two parallel channels 940516,p:\operrsbpaIes.spe,2 I I -3which e -tend between opposite sides of the pallet. Each channel opens to the underside of the pallet and comprises opposed substantially vertical walls 12 extending upwardly relative to the generally planar inner surface of the base 4 and an upper wall 14. The channels 10 provide two important functions. Firstly they act to receive the respective tines of a forklift truck, and secondly they act as structural beams which add to the strength and rigidity of the pallet. As these beams project into the interior space of the container the depth of the beams can be made such as to impart the requisite rigidity and strength without adding to the effective depth of the pallet. The underside of each channel may, at each end of the channel, be closed by a web 16 which lies beneath the forklift tine to ensure that the pallet does not tilt off the forklift.

Further tine channels may be formed in the base at right angles to, and S" intersecting, the channels 10 to permit entry of the tines from any one of the four sides.

The container preferably comprises drainage openings with removable plugs which permit liquid to be drained from the pallet. As the presence of the channels 10 causes the base 4 of the pallet to be divided into three compartments consisting of a large central compartment between the two channels 10 and smaller end compartments to the outer side of the two channels, a separate drain opening is provided from each of these compartments.

9 In an alternative configuration instead of constructing the grid in a right angled configuration, the intersecting webs which form the grid can be inclined obliquely to the side walls 2 whereby each cell 5 is of diamond or lozenge shape as shown in Figure Such a grid design will facilitate use of the grid with smaller size drums. Alternatively the right-angled grid design can be used with smaller drums by fitting a separate, perforated, sheet over the top of the grid to support the drums.

The pallet may be constructed from high density polyethylene retained from recycled material although this is not essential and any suitable plastics material may be used.

The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

0 y980115,p:\oper\rsh,pallets.pe,3

Claims (7)

1. A pallet comprising an outer container having an integral side wall structure and bottom wall for containing liquid which may spill into the pallet, and an integral grid structure integral with the bottom wall and side wall structure, the grid structure being defined by intersecting walls extending from the bottom wall to a position at or adjacent an upper part of the side wall structure to provide structural rigidity for the pallet, the upper surface of the grid forming a support surface for a drum or other container to be supported on the pallet, the container and grid being integrally moulded in one piece from plastics material, wherein the bottom wall of the container is shaped to form a pair of parallel beams extending between opposite sides of the container for rigidifying the pallet and for receiving the tines of a forklift for lifting the pallet, the beams extending upwardly from a generally planar inner surface of the bottom wall, and the walls of the grid 0 structure form cells for receiving the liquid and form baffles for pieventing surging of the liquid.

2. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein the beams are of inverted channel section which open to the underside of the pallet.

3. A pallet accordii to claim 2, wherein the open underside of each channel section is closed by a web at each end of the channel section, the webs acting to prevent tilting of the pallet from the tines of the forklift.

4. A pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the grid structure is apertured adjacent its lower end to permit passage of liquid between individual cells of the structure.

A pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the walls of the grid structure defines cells of rectangular shape. 980120,p:\opeArrb,pallets.spe,4 0'(f

6. A pallet according to any one. of claims 1 to 4, wherein the walls of the grid structure defines cells of diamond or lozenge shape.

7. A pallet substantially as bereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 20th day of January, 1998. VICFAM PLASTICS RECYCLING PTY. LTD. By its Patent Attorneys: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE 0 0 0 0000 *0 0 0 0 0* 0000 0* .000.. 0 *000 0* 0* K ~L~J 980120,p:\oper\rsh,pallets.spe,5 -4 .0 k -6- ABS TRACT A pallet for drums has provision for containment of liquid that may spill from the drums. The pallet is integrally moulded in one piece from plastics and has a liquid-containing base, reinforced by a grid structure which also forms a surface for supporting the drums. 940516,p:\oper~rsh,pallets.spe,6